How is the President of the United States elected today?

U.S. Presidential Election Process

Presidential elections in the United States are held every four years and consist of four main phases: pre-elections, party conventions, presidential candidate campaigns, and national voter turnout. The pre-election phase usually kicks off in New Hampshire on the third Tuesday of February in the election year and ends in June, mainly when the Democratic, **** and bipartisan parties select delegates to their respective national conventions, who will present their party's presidential candidates at the party conventions.

The national conventions of the two major U.S. political parties are usually held in July and August to determine the party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates and to adopt campaign platforms. The conventions are often several days long, with hundreds of votes cast. After the convention, the presidential campaign officially begins.

After the convention, the elected presidential candidate begins a months-long national campaign for votes, which includes campaign trips to various states, extensive meetings with voters, televised speeches, and televised debates. The presidential candidates spend huge sums of money and use a variety of tactics in their campaigns.

Under the U.S. Constitution, the president is not elected by Congress or directly by voters, but by electors chosen by voters. The number of electors in each state is equal to the total number of that state's members in each house of Congress. The current total number of presidential electors in the nation's 50 states is 538. To be elected President, one needs at least 270 electoral votes. For this reason, the day on which each state elects its presidential electors is also called Presidential Election Day (usually in November of the election year). After the national election, the presidential candidate who wins the general election is voted on by the Electoral College, which is made up of presidential electors from each state, and the presidential candidate who receives the most votes in a state wins all of that state's electoral votes.

After the polls close for the Nov. 2 election, the general election moves to the certification of votes. The deadline for certifying vote totals may vary from state to state, but the final tally must be in by Dec. 13 in all states. On this day, members of the Electoral College meet in their respective state capitals to vote for President and Vice President. The results produce a "certificate of election" that is sent to Congress.

Congress will convene in a special joint session on Jan. 6, 2005, to read the certificates and announce the official winner of the election. If no single candidate receives an absolute majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives will elect the president and the Senate will choose the vice president. The only time in U.S. history that a candidate did not receive a majority of votes in the general election was in 1824. In the weeks leading up to the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration, the new president can finalize his Cabinet slate and the re-elected president can consider the direction of his second term.

Grand Electoral College System

The Electoral College refers to a group of "electors," nominated by political activists and party members in each state, consisting of 538 electors distributed among the 50 states and the capital city of Washington, D.C. The number of electors in each state is determined by the number of votes cast in that state. The number of electors in each state is the same as the number of members of that state in each house of Congress. California, the most populous state in the U.S., has 55 electoral votes, while the sparsely populated state of Alaska has only three. Except in very special circumstances, a candidate who wins the popular vote in a state receives all of that state's electoral votes.

On Election Day, these electors, who are pledged to support a particular presidential candidate, are elected by popular vote. In December, following the presidential election, the elected electors vote for the president and vice president in their respective state capitals. Only those who receive 270 electoral votes are elected.

In recent history, the electors have never voted against the winner of the popular vote. Regardless of its intent and purpose, in practice the Electoral College votes in favor of the winner of the popular vote, reflecting the fact that the winning candidate won a majority of the vote and legitimizing the public's choice. It is still possible, however, for the Electoral College to cast fewer than 270 votes for any one candidate in a close election or a multiparty election. At that point, it would be up to the House of Representatives to choose the next president.

The Electoral College system is defined by Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution. Although it has been the subject of some controversy in recent years, it is believed to play a stabilizing role in the electoral system.

The process of creating a vice president

In American politics, the vice president does not hold a real job. His official duty is to serve as President of the Senate of Congress, but this is largely ceremonial, as he only votes if the Senate votes equally in favor and against. The vice president's day-to-day duties are usually based on the president's request and are generally inconsequential, such as representing the president at funeral events for foreign leaders.

Under the U.S. Constitution, the vice president takes over the presidency if the president dies or becomes incapacitated. Being vice president first is one of the ways to ascend to the U.S. presidency. Since World War II, three vice presidents have taken over the presidency during their presidency. Truman succeeded to the presidency due to Roosevelt's death, Johnson due to Kennedy's assassination, and Ford due to Nixon's ouster. In addition, several vice presidents have been presidential candidates, including Nixon, Humphrey, Mondale, and Bush.

The Vice President of the United States is not directly elected by the American public, but is selected by the Democratic and *** and party presidential candidates and elected by the national conventions of both parties. Presidential candidates in the choice of vice presidential candidate first of all to consider the person's political qualifications and conditions, but mainly to see which part of the party he represents the forces in order to achieve a balance, as far as possible to strive for the support of the greatest number of voters.

But the outcome of the election does not depend on the presidential candidate's choice of vice president, but on the presidential candidate.

During the 1988 U.S. election, many Americans thought that *** and party presidential candidate George H.W. Bush's running mate, Quayle, was too young and inexperienced to be considered, and thought that the Democratic presidential candidate, Dukakis, had a seasoned, highly experienced, and highly regarded running mate, Bengtson. But as the election turned out, Bush won and became president, and Quayle naturally became vice president.

Vice presidential candidates are usually members of Congress, but senators have a better chance of being picked as vice presidential candidates. The reason for this is that once a senator is elected vice president, he or she serves as president of the Senate, which strengthens the president's ties to the Senate.

---- Link 1: Distinguishing Between U.S. Presidential Sessions, Terms, and Positions

U.S. elections often involve a "session" of the U.S. President, "term" and "office" of the President of the United States.

As for "term", the U.S. Constitution provides that presidential elections are held once every four years, and the president serves a full four-year term. If the president fails to complete his term of office for any reason, he will be succeeded by another person, and the two presidents will serve the same term.

The term "term" refers to the number of times a person has held the office of President. A person who holds the office of President for several consecutive terms remains in office. However, if a person has been elected for several times in non-consecutive presidential elections, the number of times he has been elected shall be counted as several terms.

Regarding "places", it refers to the actual number of people who have served as President. From the beginning of the election of the President of the United States to the present, regardless of whether the re-election, or successively elected several times, without double counting, there are a few counted as a few.

Link 2: How to choose the election day?

The U.S. presidential election voting day is scheduled for the election year after November 2, the first Tuesday, the reason why the election in November, is based on the traditions of the agricultural community - the end of the crop harvest season. The Tuesday was chosen because many voters had to travel long distances to get to the polls, and voters had religious services to attend on Sundays and were mostly reluctant to move. The vote shunned Nov. 1 because it is Halloween in the United States